In order to chemically treat a blood disease such as leukemia, conventionally a remedy is directly administered into the body of the patient. For example, a patient who receives chemical treatment often gets an intravenous injection of a carcinostatic substance. When he suffers from leukemia, he receives a toxic drug for attacking rapidly propagating leukocytic cells, or such a drug is administered as a relatively high intravascular concentration for attaining a good effect. The above procedures often lead to various side reactions.
On the other hand, there has been developed a new chemical treatment method employing an apparatus called a photophoresis apparatus for treating of a cutis T cell lymphadenoma (CTCL) ("Science" Japan Edition, October 1988, pp. 65-73). As shown in present FIG. 1, such a photophoresis apparatus 20 comprises a centrifugal separator 21 for separating blood into its components, and is controlled by a microprocessor. In the known apparatus, blood components contained in a bag 22a are fed through a transparent passage 23 of plastic, to be stored in another bag 22b. High-power ultraviolet lamps 24 are provided on both sides of the passage 23 meandering through a space between the lamps 24. The blood of a patient is separated into components by the centrifugal separator 21, so that blood plasma and leukocytes are contained in the bag 22a. The components thus contained in the bag 22a are mixed with a physiological salt solution which is contained in a bag 22c and fed into the passage 23. The ultraviolet lamps 24 apply intense ultraviolet radiation (UVA) to the liquid which is passed through the passage 23. The UV-irradiated components are mixed with other centrifugally separated components, and returned into the body of the patient.
The above photophoresis apparatus provides a device for optically processing the blood or the blood components of a patient with a drug outside of the patient's body. Such a device may provide a way for chemically treating and optically activating a drug and selectively applying the drug to a target in a patient's blood.